The popular saga Star Wars is bringing back one of its most iconic villains, Darth Maul. The new animated series, Maul – Shadow Lord, will focus on his story. Maul hasn’t appeared on screen since The Clone Wars concluded in 2020, and his return is drawing inspiration from classic horror creators.
Darth Maul is already considered one of the greatest villains in Star Wars, and his new series will finally explore his history in detail. This will give us a deeper understanding of a character who didn’t get enough screen time as a villain. Maul – Shadow Lord promises to make this iconic character even more impressive.
This show marks the fourth time Star Wars has brought Darth Maul back to life after he seemingly died in The Phantom Menace. This keeps happening, much like with classic slasher movie villains who repeatedly survive across many films. In fact, the creators specifically drew inspiration from two well-known slasher villains when deciding to bring Maul back this time.
Darth Maul Is Returning To Star Wars After 6 Years
The new trailer for the animated series Maul – Shadow Lord suggests a very dark story. It’s inspired by classic crime dramas and builds on what we already know about Darth Maul and the evil Galactic Empire. The series follows Darth Maul as he gathers his troops on the planet Janix.
Meanwhile, he’ll also be training a young Jedi in the dark side. While Devon Izara is the most significant new character in Maul – Shadow Lord, she won’t be the only addition, as police detective Brander Lawson will be Maul’s main opponent.
It’s been a while since Darth Maul appeared on screen – the last time was in season seven of The Clone Wars when Ahsoka Tano beat him. Now, the way he’s guiding Devon Izara will be similar to how he tried to team up with Ahsoka during their short-lived partnership.
Halloween’s Michael Myers & Friday The 13th’s Jason Voorhees Inspired Maul’s Return
The creators of the Maul – Shadow Lord comic decided to bring Darth Maul back as a villain because they were inspired by classic slasher movie villains. Michael Myers from Halloween and Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th both famously survive and return from death multiple times throughout their film series.
Last April, Lucasfilm’s Athena Portillo told IGN that she talked with her animation team about how characters like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees keep surviving even after terrible injuries. She had these discussions while explaining how they planned to bring Darth Maul back to life.
I often joke with the Lucasfilm Animation team that characters in Star Wars are a lot like horror villains such as Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees – you can defeat them, but they always return. It’s a constant threat, and Darth Maul is a perfect example; he’s ‘died’ many times, yet he always manages to come back.
Darth Maul consistently ranks as the scariest villain for many Star Wars fans. His unique look – with his horns and striking face – and powerful presence on screen make a strong case for him being the most frightening character in the entire series. Artist Athena Portillo’s comparison of Maul to classic horror icons like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees feels like long-deserved recognition for the character.
Maul Needs More Live-Action Appearances To Become An All-Time Great Horror Villain
Surprisingly, Darth Maul is set to surpass Luke Skywalker as the character with the most screentime across the entire Star Wars franchise with the release of Maul – Shadow Lord. However, most of Maul’s screen time has been in animated series, unlike Luke’s which primarily comes from the live-action films.
Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees wouldn’t be nearly as scary if they’d been mostly animated in their movies, even with impressive CGI. Similarly, for Darth Maul to become a truly memorable horror villain, he needs to appear in more live-action roles beyond his debut in The Phantom Menace.
Darth Maul’s brief appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story showed that he could return in future live-action Star Wars projects. With the upcoming series Maul – Shadow Lord highlighting his importance to the franchise, fans will likely be discussing the possibility of seeing him in more live-action films and shows.
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2026-03-17 20:39